“Shall We Play a Game?”

When I first introduced a photo of my Boggle game board as part of a weekly photo challenge, several bloggers asked if I would post another photo again so they could “play” online.

So, no, we will not be playing a game of “thermonuclear war” as depicted in the 1983 Sci-Fi movie War Games.

But first, I would be remiss if I did not use this as a leisure education opportunity for Leisurely Thursday.

Why do we play board games?
Board games are not just for children, although children greatly benefit from the variety of skills that can be learned from the choices of games available. Games, involving the creation of words, build both reading and writing skills, while having fun in a competitive, entertaining environment.

Playing board games with family and friends is fun for all ages and builds much needed face-to-face relationships.

History tells us that the Ancient Egyptians played Senet, believed to be the oldest board game known to exist. The original rules have been lost, but the goal seemed to be to move the game pieces across the board, probably using sticks as dice. Other ancient board games include Mancala and Tafl. For more about ancient board games, click here.

Another benefit is the kinesthetic component of touching, feeling and manipulating game pieces. Sadly, many of us are used to the two-dimensional environment of online games and we have forgotten that our other senses are involved in playing real board games. With Boggle you set the word die in the tray then replace the cover and SHAKE! It’s fun and noisy. And all part of the experience.

The goal of Boggle is to form as many words as you can from a random assortment of letters in three minutes. For a quick intro on how to play, click here.

Since we are readers and wordsmiths, let’s make this more challenging and look for words that have a minimum of four letters.

And, now, if you are ready? Shall we play a game…of Boggle?

Let’s set the virtual timer for three minutes, and ……………..GO!

Tell me in the comments which words you found. Yay!